Anthony DeSclafani Rumors

The Marlins continued to make impactful additions, dealing for righty Mat Latos of the Reds. Pitching prospect Anthony DeSclafani and young catcher Chad Wallach are going to Cincinnati in the deal.

Though Latos has had some recent arm issues, he is an excellent performer when healthy. In fact, he has not posted an ERA of higher than 3.50 in any season since his brief rookie debut. Last year, he worked to a 3.25 earned run mark over 102 1/3 innings, striking out 6.5 and walking 2.3 batters per nine. Those strikeout figures were down from his career standards. And while the innings total is surely a concern, Latos had averaged 200 frames per season over the prior four campaigns.

Then there is the matter of Latos’s contract. He is projected by MLBTR/Matt Swartz to earn just $8.4MM this coming season, a relative bargain. He will qualify for free agency, but the Fish will of course also have the opportunity to make him a qualifying offer.

The Marlins, of course, also acquired starting pitcher Dan Haren from the Dodgers Wednesday, although he could opt to retire rather than playing outside Southern California.

DeSclafani came to Miami in the blockbuster deal with the Blue Jays several years back. The 24-year-old righty reached the bigs last year, struggling to a 6.27 ERA over a short sample of 33 innings, but put up strong results in the minors. He is generally viewed more as a back-end arm, though his exceedingly low walk numbers might provide more upside than his solid strikeout figures would suggest.

Wallach, son of longtime big leaguer Tim, is a 23-year-old backstop who has put up impressive offensive numbers in the low minors. Baseball America views him as a solid all-around prospect who should at worst become a good big league backup.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark tweeted that the Fish were set to announce a pitching acquisition, with Jon Morosi of FOX Sports tweeting that Latos was the name in play. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweeted that the deal was done. MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter) and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports(also on Twitter) reported the Reds’ return.

The Nationals‘ unheralded acquisition of current fifth starter Tanner Roark represents a “triumph of scouting,” writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. With the Nats looking to dump the salary of Christian Guzman back in 2010, the team identified the little-known Roark as a potentially useful arm and picked him up along with righty Ryan Tatusko. While Roark was the real prize of that swap, GM Mike Rizzo says that Tatusko (who owns a 2.15 ERA through seven starts at Triple-A) could reach the bigs himself “somehow, somewhere, with somebody.”

Here’s more out of Washington and the rest of the National League:

Much-maligned Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks has been reasonably productive this year, and could potentially be dealt if Milwaukee can find an interested partner, writes Rosenthal. The 31-year-old, who is earning $11MM this year before he reaches the open market, has a .318/.375/.364 line through just 48 plate appearances. Somewhat curiously, and counter to his career tendencies, the right-handed hitter has been knocking around same-handed hurlers (.954 OPS) while struggling against southpaws (.541) in an approximately even number of appearances against pitchers of both sides. Rosenthal mentions the Cardinals and Orioles as possible matches, though the former seems unlikely with Milwaukee leading the division. (Of course, Baltimore already owns the rights to Weeks’s younger brother, fellow second bagger Jemile Weeks.)

The Diamondbacks are still in no rush to deal shortstop Didi Gregorius, who is spending some time at second while fellow middle infield prospect Nick Ahmed sees time at short. Rosenthal notes that the team is unlikely to field a double-play combination of Gregorius and Chris Owings unless it saw fit to deal keystone stalwart Aaron Hill, who earns $12MM both this year and next.

There is little doubt of the biggest story in baseball right now: the UCL tear of Marlins‘ young ace Jose Fernandez. With the club still in the thick of things in the NL East, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro suggests that Miami should consider a bold move: a trade for Jeff Samardzija of the Cubs. While top prospect Andrew Heaney offers some hope of filling Fernandez’s shoes (to the extent that is possible), Frisaro says that Samardzija “could save the season” for the Fish. Of course, acquiring him could well require parting with Heaney — if not more, if the Cubs’ ace continues his current dominance. Samardzija comes with another year of control after the present, though he’ll be fairly expensive after earning $5.345MM in his second trip through arbitration.

While weighing a call-up of Heaney, if not a more drastic move, the Marlins will promote Anthony DeSclafani for his first big league action, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel. Baseball America tabbed DeSclafani as the team’s fifth-best prospect coming into the season, saying that the 24-year-old (who came over in the infamous Blue Jays trade) could top out as a number three starter or back-end reliever.

Whatever the intentions of Mets‘ co-owner Saul Katz, any sale of his portion of the team’s equity is not likely to change the control of the club, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman walks through the reasons that, even if Katz looks to move some or all of his shares, the Wilpon family is quite likely to stay in charge in New York.

Cardinals GM John Mozeliak acknowledges that he finds the club’s middling start “concerning,”reports MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch. While the team has plenty of internal possibilities to shake things up, Mozeliak says that he does not intend to just go with what he has if the situation warrants change. “I can’t imagine us just doing nothing all season and just say our strategy is you’re going to rise up to your mean,” said Mozeliak, who said the club’s 19-20 record may actually be an over-achievement at this point. “For us, there are some things we want to be sensitive to. The month of July is an opportunity to maybe change the look of your club if you have to. The clock’s ticking, but it’s not in a panic mode or a reactionary place where you have to just do something to do something. I think people have to be aware that this is not acceptable baseball at this point.”

It's been a tough rebuilding season for the Miami Marlins, but help is on the way.

The club is currently in last place in the National League East and has the worst record in the NL. The Houston Astros are the only team in Major League Baseball with a lower winning percentage.

Miami is one of three teams to have used 19 rookies in 2013. The club has trotted out 11 freshman hitters and eight first-year pitchers. Of those 19 players, 10 have received significant playing time. Despite their inexperience, the Marlins front office is building a club with a strong core of young, high-ceiling players. And, even with the significant wave of talent that's already reached the Majors, Miami has more on the way.

The pitching staff stands to be the most significant beneficiary of the talent infusion. The club already has a number of young hurlers that could settle into the starting rotation in 2014, including Jose Fernandez, Tom Koehler, Henderson Alvarez, Jacob Turner and Nate Eovaldi. Four more names could settle into the big league club's starting rotation next season, and the organization has the Toronto Blue Jays to thank for three of the prospects.

None of the names can match the ace-in-the-making ceiling that Fernandez has, but they certainly have the talent necessary to be impact performers in the coming seasons.

Anthony DeSclafani, RHP, Double-A: DeSclafani has a big-time fastball, but an inconsistent college career caused him to slide to the Blue Jays in the sixth round of the 2011 amateur draft. Despite being stuck in the bullpen for much of his collegiate career, the right-hander has thrived as a starter in pro ball.

DeSclafani, 23, was one of the lesser-known names in last year's 12-player trade between the Marlins and the Jays. He's pitched extremely well since joining his new organization, playing at two levels in 2013 — High-A and Double-A. The million dollar question, though, is whether or not he can maintain his success as a starter in the upper levels of the minors and into the Majors.

The Marlins' Director of Player Development, Brian Chattin, said he's not surprised by the young hurler's pro success and added that the organization followed his amateur career closely at the University of Florida: "His slider is an above-average pitch at times and should be a consistent weapon for him as he continues to develop," Chattin said. "His changeup is a work in progress but is showing signs of being a usable third pitch. I am confident he can stick as a starter."

Sam Dyson, RHP, Triple-A: The Marlins more or less stole this talented pitcher from the Jays. Toronto added Dyson to the 40-man roster when he was called up to the Majors last season, but he appeared in just two big league games (both out of the bullpen) before being returned to the minor leagues. In the offseason, the club faced a roster crunch and the former fourth round draft pick was claimed off waivers by the Fish.

With his new club, the 25-year-old Dyson was converted back to a starter after spending much of 2012 in the bullpen. Like DeSclafani, he's had a lot of success in his new role. He's spent the majority of the 2013 season in Double-A but has also pitched well in four starts since being promoted to Triple-A.

According to Chattin, Dyson's ultimate role is still open for discussion: "We are encouraged by his overall development and will consider him for both a rotation and bullpen role if his progress continues," said Chattin. "Our primary focus with Sam this year has been to get him consistent work and establish a usable breaking ball… We like the sinker, as well as the changeup, but want a consistent breaking ball that he will throw with confidence. He used a curveball early but has gone to a slider recently."

Andrew Heaney, LHP, Double-A: The club's first round draft pick in 2012, Heaney has been a fast mover. Despite making just six appearances last season, the southpaw has played at two levels this year: High-A and Double-A. His ERA sits at just 1.41 for the year between the two levels.

Chattin said Heaney's success has come from his ability to throw three average to above-average pitches for strikes. He also has a reliable out-pitch in his slider, and simply needs to add polish. "He needs to log some innings so he can learn the lessons this game naturally teaches through experience," he said. "He also needs to control the running game more effectively."

Justin Nicolino, LHP, Double-A: The third and final former Blue Jays farmhand on this list, Nicolino came over to the organization in last offseason's blockbuster deal involving Jose Reyes. In the Jays organization, he was a member of impressive trio of high-ceiling arms that were all drafted out of high school in 2010: Nicolino, Aaron Sanchez and Noah Syndergaard (who was traded to the Mets in the R.A. Dickey deal). The Jays had a plethora of picks that season, and Nicolino was actually the seventh player selected by Toronto despite being nabbed in the second round (80th overall).

Nicolino's success and rise through the system has mirrored Heaney's in 2013. Chattin said the young lefty will see his success continue into the Majors if he trusts his stuff and continues to attack the strike zone. "He is intelligent, pitches with a plan and purpose, throws three pitches for strikes and changes speeds effectively," Chattin explained.